This invention relates to exercising equipment and, in particular, to equipment characterized by great versatility. Specifically, the equipment is capable of simulating very distinct exercise routines such as weight lifting and rowing thereby making it unnecessary to use multiple pieces of equipment for these purposes.
There are a wide variety of available exercise devices. Simple weights have been used, and weight lifting machines have been designed to accomplish this routine in a more controlled fashion.
As a result of various scientific studies, it has been determined that more beneficial exercise can be accomplished by focusing on more than weight training. As a result, various additional types of equipment were designed for simulating activity such as walking, jogging, bicycling, rowing and skiing. Understandably, however, a good deal of expense and substantial space requirements would be involved if an individual desired to have the weight training and other equipment available. This has led to the use of health clubs and the like where all the equipment can be maintained, but this adds an element of distinct inconvenience.
Some attempts have been made to combine features of various types of equipment so that cost and space requirements for individuals wishing to have their own equipment can be reduced. Examples of such equipment are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,272,074 and 4,706,953. Such equipment has been found undesirable, however, since the desired level of versatility has still not been achieved and since the mechanical operation is not satisfactory.